La Selva Biological Station — Attraction in La Virgen

I have nothing but good things to say. You can explore many trails through the rainforest here in peace and quiet, at different times of day and night when different animals are active. The number of plants and animals you can get the chance to photograph is extraordinary. There is a complimentary tour the morning after you check in (a group tour that will include you and anyone else who just arrived) to help familiarize you with the reserve, ask questions, and of course see the rainforest plants and animals (it started at 8am and went for ~3 hours, definitely wear proper shoes and bring your camera etc). Other more specific tours are available if you want to book them. You can book a room through the contact form on the website with just breakfast, or lunch and dinner too (“full board”). I’ve done both and the full board is worth it, I think it’s better than driving to town or having snacks in your room for dinner. The food is good! It’s served cafeteria style and the seating area is pleasant and open. The vegetarian option was similar to the meat option with all the same sides and salads etc but you might get a chickpea curry instead of a meat curry or stuffed squash instead of chicken leg — that sort of thing, it changes every day. The nearest store is pretty close if you need something, very short drive out to the main road or pleasant longish walk if you take the dirt road through the fields outside La Selva and past the police station. The rooms are comfortable and clean with crisp bedding and you are provided soap and towels. It is not a hotel room (no AC, no TV, no fridge, no microwave — I wasn’t expecting them but in case you are, don’t). Housekeeping is by request; it is available every day but they will not come knocking unless you ask for it which I actually liked a lot, I just had to ask how it worked exactly because I’m not used to that system. Some of the rooms are very close to reception and a few are very far (if you come by taxi with luggage during the busy months I would ask them to wait until you find out which room you have or you may be walking very far when you could have been driven). There was good wifi in all the buildings; it could be slow when a lot of people were using it although that didn’t cause me any problems. There’s a bus stop at the beginning of the road to La Selva if you’re being cheap like I was and taking the bus from San Jose; still a longish walk in from there but I was happy to stretch my legs and look...

Spent two nights at La Selva in December '23 as part of an extended group birding trip. La Selva is a wonderful birding spot as well as an important center for tropical research. Being on-property instead of 30 minutes away at someplace like Ara Ambigua Lodge, where I stayed on my last visit to La Selva allows you to conveniently get an early (think 5:30 AM) start for one of the premier birding experiences in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica.||But staying on-property comes with some consequences. My room, in the "Iguana Block" immediately across from the dining area, could most charitably be described as terrible, suited only for researchers and students. It was a dark and dank overly large non-airconditioned room equipped with three double-decker bunk beds, one light bulb in the ceiling, an anemic ceiling fan, one desk and chair and one wall socket, inconveniently located as far from the desk as was possible (this is why I bring a lightweight extension cord with me when I travel). In a tropical climate the room was designed with no provision for cross ventilation, with one large window that opened at one end but no way to get airflow through the room other than to open the door. The bathroom was equally attractive, with very short-duration spring-loaded valves on the faucets that required you to be pressing them every few seconds to wash your hands. To my surprise the shower actually worked. Food was equally basic, and it cannot be blamed on the fact that the EOT (the acronym for the system of tropical research stations) is an academic/research installation, not primarily a tourist lodge, since Las Cruces, its peer location in San Vito delighted us later in the trip with attractively presented delicious food.||All things considered, if I return to La Selva I will probably try to stay off-property.||But you come to La Selva for the birding, which is spectacular! Wide variety of species and a wide range of trails to ramble along looking for them. Birds were everywhere, including many sightings in the landscaping of the facility and its access road.||Strongly recommend La Selva for its birding - you decide if the rooms are worth...

This place exceeded my expectations. It is a very large park with 62 km of paved trails and has a large variety of wildlife. I only spent one night here but wished that I had more time due to the amount of wildlife. It is a great place for the adventurous explorer. The guest rooms are a kilometer walk from the main area. I expected them to be very rustic but on the contrary they were some of the most comfortable that we stayed at in this area. They do not have air conditioning and this area is very hot and humid but they do have ceiling fans that work well. They are constructed of solid concrete and have solid steel doors so you really have a feeling of solidity and security even more so because there is a guard that oversees access to the parking area. The showers work well and provide plenty of hot water and the beds and room are clean and comfortable. There is even a small balcony off the back of the room but you aren't likely to spend much time out there as there is much more to see in the surrounding jungle. Toucans seem to prefer the trees right behind the rooms and we saw monkeys in the trees right next to the parking lot. There had been a storm there recently that really tore up a lot of the trees in the area but they had been cleaned off the paths. They thought that maybe they had a tornado that caused all of the damage. A free guided tour is included as part of your stay and it is very worthwhile. We saw many poison dart frogs, white Guatemalan bats, peccary, Great Currasow and many other bird species. There is a large river that runs through the property and in order to access the other side there is a large well constructed footbridge. On the other side of the bridge is the housing for the researchers that stay on the property. It's a large compound with many buildings and in this area are where many of the animals come to feed and loiter. One fun tip is to pick some fruit from the trees and when returning across the river throw it in and watch the huge fish come...